Albany, NY â€“ Teams made up of members of the New York State Police and Division of Criminal Justice Services to visit communities across the state starting this week. The teams will be available to meet local law enforcement and answer questions from New Yorkers regarding NY SAFE Act.Tuesday, January 2912:00 PM Mike Green, Executive Deputy Commissioner, Division of Criminal Justice Services and Steve Hogan, First Deputy Counsel, New York State Police present the NY SAFE Act in Erie County Clarence Public Library 3 Town Place Clarence, New York OPEN PRESS12:00 PM First Deputy Superintendent Kevin Gagan, New York State...

'We are serious about limiting access to assault weapons and magazine clips [sic]. Joe and my cabinet members are on board with the necessity of confronting this issue to ensure no events like Sandy Hook happen again and the gun violence like in Chicago is addressed. This involves enforcement of existing laws. It involves addressing access to guns in big cities. I know this is not a shy group and I am very grateful to them, a representative group of communities across the country. Congress will be making decisions on what groups like this decide.' (all quickly paraphrased) Ends. takes...

PHOENIX - A state legislator is moving to put Arizona's hospitals on the front line in the fight against illegal immigration. The proposal by Rep. Steve Smith, R-Maricopa, would require hospitals to "reasonably confirm" those who show up at their doors are in the country legally if they do not produce proof of valid health insurance. HB 2293 lists methods hospital officials and employees can use to make that determination. The measure says if legal status cannot be verified, someone from the hospital "must immediately contact the local federal immigration office or a local law enforcement agency to report the...

Trying to quit smoking? You might want to move to Oregon. A new bill would classify cigarettes as a Schedule III controlled substance, making them illegal to purchase without a doctor’s prescription. Portland Rep. Mitch Greenlick introduced the bill in the Oregon State Legislature in an attempt to reduce the number of addicted people, but has received criticism from smokers and non-smokers alike who believe the initiative is not feasible. Under Greenlick’s proposal, smokers would be charged with a misdemeanor and face up to one year’s imprisonment and a $6,250 fine for being caught with a cigarette or any of...

It would be the ultimate fiscal cliff. A group of House Republicans wants to put an expiration date on the 75,000-page U.S. tax code. The Tax Code Termination Act would require the repeal of the entire code in 2017 — except for the bits dealing with Social Security and Medicare — with a new system ready to go for the following year. Of course, the U.S. economy would benefit from major tax reform that eliminated the current bias against investment, axed crony-capitalist tax breaks, and lowered marginal rates on individuals and business as much as possible. But Republicans can put...

Are the stars finally aligned for a global climate change treaty? After years of frustration, momentum seemed to change in an instant last Monday. President Obama’s second inaugural address made it clear he was going to lead the world on the issue, his words a “clarion call to action” as one observer put it. Obama’s first term was marked by one failure after another on the climate issue. For instance, his efforts to craft an agreement at Copenhagen in December 2009 were frustrated by developing nations, and subsequent conferences, such as the one last November and December in Doha, have...

Luis Bladilir Lopez would have needed a sharp defense lawyer to explain what could happen as the result of pleading guilty to a misdemeanor marijuana charge last year in Prince William County. But Lopez, then 19, was never appointed a lawyer, according to court records. In the end, the consequences were far more serious than he probably could have imagined.

America's top-grossing golfer Phil Mickelson drove himself into a bunker on Jan. 20 when he said that federal and California state tax hikes had made him contemplate making "drastic changes" in his life—including, it was widely assumed, moving to a no-income-tax state such as Texas or Florida. But he was only stating publicly what many professional athletes are mulling privately. No doubt they'll keep their thoughts private, too, given the uproar that ensued. The golfer known as Lefty outraged lefties by noting that a tax burden of more than 60% seemed excessive. Didn't he know that athletes—unlike Hollywood celebrities—are supposed...

A sheriff who urged Milwaukee-area residents in a radio ad to learn to handle firearms so they can defend themselves is dismissing pointed criticism from the city's mayor -- calling the mayor's response "weak" and telling Fox News "my job is to protect the public." Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke Jr. stirred controversy after releasing a 30-second radio ad saying budget cuts have hurt officers' ability to respond. "With officers laid off and furloughed, simply calling 911 and waiting is no longer your best option," he said in the ad. "You can beg for mercy from a violent criminal, hide...

As the U.S. government continues to expand surveillance and monitoring systems to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars within the borders of the United States, a recent announcement regarding the country’s southern air defense systems is raising eyebrows. Our southern border is, in part, protected by the Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS), which utilizes moored balloons hovering at about 15,000 feet to identify low flying aircraft and missiles that may penetrate the border and cross into U.S. airspace. The system is utilized by the U.S. Air Force, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), and U.S. Customs and Border...

I've got a simple idea: Let's give up on the Constitution. I know, it sounds radical, but it's really not. Constitutional disobedience is as American as apple pie. For example, most of our greatest Presidents -- Jefferson, Lincoln, Wilson, and both Roosevelts -- had doubts about the Constitution, and many of them disobeyed it when it got in their way. To be clear, I don't think we should give up on everything in the Constitution. The Constitution has many important and inspiring provisions, but we should obey these because they are important and inspiring, not because a bunch of people...

Behold, the new One World Trade Center — the unfinished, imperfect end-product of maybe the most anguished public soap opera ever to bring forth a single building. Still in a raw state, it’s already cause to celebrate. The nearly $4 billion, largest, most fought-over piece of the puzzle in downtown’s epic skyline restoration turns out to be a gentle giant, graceful and humane as the Twin Towers were not. Architectural eggheads will sneer at it, but the masses will just as surely love it. Include me in the common rabble. What scant pleasure the old towers afforded lay in their...

SILVIO Berlusconi provoked outrage on International Holocaust Remembrance Day yesterday by defending Benito Mussolini. His remarks coincided with preparations in Rome to build a museum dedicated to the victims next to the former fascist dictator's home. The former Prime Minister told journalists at a remembrance ceremony in Milan that Il Duce was right to ally himself with Hitler. A day after Angela Merkel acknowledged that Germany had "everlasting responsibility" for the Holocaust, Mr Berlusconi said Italy "does not have the same responsibilities as Germany". He added: "Obviously the government of that time, out of fear that German power might lead...

Even when Lance Armstrong portrayed himself as coming clean about his career spent cheating to win, he was still lying. That’s the argument U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart made Sunday evening on the CBS show “60 Minutes,” in an interview with Scott Pelley for a segment called “The Fall of Lance Armstrong.” Tygart sat down with Pelley to rebut several claims Armstrong made during his interview with Oprah Winfrey, which was televised on January 17-18. Among the statements that Tygart said were categorically untrue: that Armstrong had raced free of performance-enhancing drugs during his 2009 and 2010 comeback; that...

Stratasys Ltd. and Materialise have printed 3D clothing pieces that were worn on the catwalk of Paris Fashion week in the Iris van Herpen's haute couture show, "Voltage." Two pieces out of the 11-piece collection were 3D printed. One creation, a cape and elaborate skirt, was 3D printed by Stratasys and created with Neri Oxman, an artist, architect, designer, and professor from MIT's Media Lab. Stratasys's Objet Connex multi-material 3D printing technology was used. This technology can use a variety of material properties to be printed into a single build, which allowed both soft and hard materials to be used...

The American Century is dead. Long live the next American Century. The subtext of political debate these days is that the United States is in decline - a proposition often portrayed as self-evident. The economy lacks dynamism; unemployment near 8 percent remains at recession levels. The president and his Republican critics barely talk to each other; stalemate seems unending. But what if America isn't in decline? A powerful rebuttal comes from an unlikely place: Wall Street. In a report to clients, analysts at Goldman Sachs argue that the United States still has the world's strongest economy - and will have...

There is much talk of a triple dip recession in the UK. It depends on how you define it. If you call a recession two consecutive quarters of decline in GDP, with any quarter of positive growth ending the recession, then answer is yes. Here is a chart from the Telegraph article UK heads for triple dip as GDP contracts 0.3pc to consider. Double Dip? The blue rectangles are mine. I see two recessions not three. With 9 quarters in between recessions, one might ask "Is this even a double-dip setup?" I suggest yes, but there is no clear agreed-upon...

A petition submitted to the White House demands the Librarian of Congress to rescind his recent decision which removed the unlocking of cellphones from the exceptions to the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA).

It’s my job to advocate for spending cuts. It’s a job I’ve been doing in one form or another for over a decade. If I’ve ever experienced a victory, it must have been a pretty small one, because I can’t recall any. So why do I persist?For one, I’m a naturally optimistic person. And fueling that optimism is the press. I’m constantly reading about the possibility of spending cuts, and those articles usually say that the cuts would be major … or massive … or severe … or even draconian! The possibility sends a thrill up my leg.Alas, the “draconian”...

The Department of Homeland Security is seeking to acquire 7,000 5.56x45mm NATO “personal defense weapons” (PDW) — also known as “assault weapons” when owned by civilians. The solicitation, originally posted on June 7, 2012, comes to light as the Obama administration is calling for a ban on semi-automatic rifles and high capacity magazines. Citing a General Service Administration (GSA) request for proposal (RFP), Steve McGough of RadioViceOnline.com reports that DHS is asking for the 7,000 “select-fire” firearms because they are “suitable for personal defense use in close quarters.” The term select-fire means the weapon can be both semi-automatic and automatic....

A Latino gang is intimidating blacks into leaving the city that was once an African American enclave. It's part of a violent trend seen in other parts of the L.A. area. The attacks on the family are the latest in a series of violent incidents in which Latino gangs targeted blacks in parts of greater Los Angeles over the last decade.

Raising a daughter is tricky enough. Last week, the job of all American parents became much more complicated. Not only do parents of daughters have to worry about dates to the dance, mean girls on the playground, or making sure their daughters have good academic discipline but now parents also have to worry about the idea that if there ever is a national draft again, their daughter might just have the opportunity to sit in a foxhole, wet, cold and muddy, gripping the steel of an M-4 in her chapped hands, waiting to kill or be killed. As a responsible...

TEL AVIV – Now that he has secured his second term, President Barack Obama has already secretly pledged to the Palestinians he will press Israel into a new round of so-called land-for-peace negotiations, a top Palestinian Authority negotiator told KleinOnline. The negotiator said top members of the Obama administration told the Palestinians the U.S. president will renew talks aimed at creating a Palestinian state in the so-called 1967 borders – meaning in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and, notably, eastern Jerusalem. The negotiator further revealed when it comes to dividing Jerusalem, Obama wants to rehash what is known as the...

Some Good Samaritans wanted to clean up some trash in a neighborhood near me in Northern Virginia, and they ran into a brick wall of bureaucracy. I happened to notice this write-up on a neighborhood blog. If you aren’t convinced yet that there is too much government bureaucracy in America, then this article is well worth reading. Here are some highlights:Kay Cooper and Nancy Vorona, residents of Lake Barcroft, would like to see the Seven Corners area cleaned up. …Government officials agree the area needs to be cleaned up. Yet nothing is being done. Cooper is beyond frustrated at the...

Craig Newmark points to some interesting analysis that suggests that the recent run-up in U.S. stock prices can be attributed to the newest rounds of quantitative easing: What is clear is that the recent market rally is once again being driven by the Federal Reserve's QE programs. Money is flowing out of bonds, and the dollar, and into equities. The weekly chart below shows the decline in the market this past September and October as excess reserve balances with the Fed were drawn down. The subsequent rally has been fueled by the Fed as it has pumped reserve balances sharply...

Extremists burn ancient texts in Mali The Associated Press Posted Jan 28, 2013 @ 07:32 AMSEVARE, Mali (AP) — Islamist extremists torched a library containing historic manuscripts in Timbuktu, the mayor said today, as French and Malian forces closed in on Mali's fabled desert city. Ousmane Halle said he heard about the burnings early today. "It's truly alarming that this has happened," he told The Associated Press by telephone from Mali's capital, Bamako. "They torched all the important ancient manuscripts. The ancient books of geography and science. It is the history of Timbuktu, of its people."

Islamist insurgents retreating from the ancient Saharan city of Timbuktu have set fire to a library containing thousands of priceless ancient manuscripts, some dating back to the 13th century, in what the town's mayor described as a "devastating blow" to world heritage. ... The manuscripts survived for centuries in Timbuktu on the edge of the Sahara hidden in wooden trunks, boxes beneath the sand and caves. The majority are written in Arabic, with some in African languages, and one in Hebrew, and cover a diverse range of topics including astronomy, poetry, music, medicine and women's rights. The oldest dated from...

A group of eight Democratic and Republicans senators, including Florida’s Marco Rubio, will officially release a wide-ranging immigration plan Monday that could give a pathway to citizenship, tighten border security and increase guest-worker permits. -snip- Most controversially, the proposal would give a pathway to residency — and even citizenship — to many of the estimated 11 million immigrants unlawfully in the United States.

Listen Live: Sound Off Connecticut with Jim Vicevich 9 a.m. to noon ET (Da ily Thread)Sound Off Connecticut is a popular conservative/libertarian call in talk show hosted by Jim Vicevich weekday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon ET. Although based in Connecticut, the show welcomes callers from all over the United States! This is your chance to sound off America! Call into the show toll free (800) 966-9842! Listen to the LIVE AUDIO STREAM at http://wtic.com - it's free and NO registration is required! If you're in southern New England listen over the air to WTIC 1080 AM, the 50,000...

Back in 2010, I shared a remarkable graph comparing the predictions of economists to what actually happened. Not surprisingly, the two lines don’t exactly overlap, which explains the old joke that economists have correctly predicted nine of the last five recessions.It’s not that economists are totally useless. It’s just that they don’t do a very good job when they venture into the filed of macroeconomics, as Russ Roberts succinctly explained. And they look especially foolish when they try to engage in forecasting.But at least economists sometimes can be entertaining, though usually in the laughing-at-you rather than laughing-with-you way.Consider, for instance,...

Her phony warbling made Chuck Schumer look like a fool — but she hasn’t apologized to him for it. The New York senator angrily admitted yesterday that the pop queen has not called him to say sorry after she turned last week’s inaugural bash into an unexpected Milli Vanilli concert by lip-syncing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” “I have not heard from her before, during or after,” a testy Schumer told The Post after he was asked if Beyoncé had called him to give a musical mea culpa. “She did not talk to me at all. I didn’t say any words to...

Both supporters and critics of the federal background check system for gun buyers say the system is flawed. Supporters argue the system is filled with holes and impeded by a lack of cooperation from state governments, while critics warn that even if the system were perfected it would in no way reduce gun violence. Now politicians and those with a stake in the outcome are looking for ways to improve the vetting process for Americans who want to purchase firearms.

A bipartisan group of senators has agreed on a set of principles for a sweeping overhaul of the immigration system, including a pathway to American citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants that would hinge on progress in securing the borders and ensuring that foreigners leave the country when their visas expire. -snip- “We on the Democratic side have said that we are flexible and we want to get a bill,” Mr. Schumer told reporters in New York on Sunday. “But there’s a bottom line, and that’s a path to citizenship for the 11 or so million people who qualify. We’ve...

We all know the term "The Bill of Rights" which are the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution although few of us (including me) could name them. Hint: None of them start "Thou shalt not …" Rather they tend to start "The Government (or Congress) shalt not …" Keep that in mind. The First Amendment is a catch-all of rights upon which the Congress may not trample: It protects an individual's freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press, as well as the right to assemble and to petition the government. The American press corps is...

JEFFREY BROWN: All right, the week began with the inauguration. We all talked on Monday. It ends with the White House appointment of a new chief of staff, Mark. What does the new team, what does the language you heard this week tell you about the president that Barack Obama wants to be? MARK SHIELDS: I think, like all re-elected presidents, he sees a mandate, an expanded vision of a mandate from the electoral victory. But he realizes time is short. And I think he is not showing the same level of patience with the Congress that he showed in...

So who has cuter dimples? Swoon Journalist Steve Kroft or Mario Lopez? It's a reasonable question to ask because the Extra host's interviews of celebs like Angelina and Brad couldn't have been anymore of a puff piece than Kroft's starry-eyed interview of President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday's 60 Minutes. A half hour of softballs were gently served up by Kroft who acted as if he were overjoyed to just bask in the glow of his interviewees who ate up almost all the time praising each other. Oh, there was the obligatory question that Kroft was...

... Brown, 23, is alleged to have been involved inan “all-out brawl” withcrooner FrankOcean and his crew Sundaynight, according to TMZ. The tworeportedly were at Westlake Studio in Los Angeles when the melee occurred. Reports are still hazy, but witnesses told police the fight was over a parking space, according to the AP. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says the “altercation allegedlyled to Chris Brown punching the victim,”who remains to be identified. Sheriff’s officials are still investigating the case and said theywill contact Brown later. Brown was exposedto the horrors of domestic violence at a veryyoung age. Following his...

Days after documents surfaced that suggested New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez paid for sexual favors in the Dominican Republic — including some from girls as young as 16 — few in Washington are offering new clues about what appears to be an ongoing federal investigation. The documents included emails between FBI Special Agent Regino Chavez and a Dominican source. In one email, Chavez told the source that “we have been able to confirm most of” the information he had provided about Menendez and the prostitutes. “We know that you are providing accurate information.” ABC News chief global affairs correspondent...

Imagine you're getting ready to head to church one fine Sunday morning and on your television you hear a man say, "Let's give up on the Constitution." Such actually happened when CBS News Sunday Morning aired a rather inflammatory commentary by a Georgetown University law professor teased by host Charles Osgood asking, "Is the U.S. Constitution truly worthy of the reverence in which most Americans hold it?" (video follows with transcript and commentary): (video) **** CHARLES OSGOOD, HOST: Is the U.S. Constitution truly worthy of the reverence in which most Americans hold it? A view on that from Lewis Michael...

Private landowners are reaping billions of dollars in royalties each year from the boom in natural gas drilling, transforming lives and livelihoods even as the windfall provides only a modest boost to the broader economy. In Pennsylvania alone, royalty payments could top $1.2 billion for 2012, according to an Associated Press analysis that looked at state tax information, production records and estimates from the National Association of Royalty Owners. For some landowners, the unexpected royalties have made a big difference.

On the morning of Obama’s 2nd inauguration, January 21, 2013, Barack and Michelle received a powerful message of TRUTH from Pastor Jonathan Cahn, one that must have infuriated both of them greatly. This courageous pastor delivered a Presidential inaugural message that directly refuted the Black Liberation Theology of hate professed by Obama’s “Reverend” of 20 years, Mr. Jeremiah Wright. Pastor Cahn’s inspired message effectively repudiated Obama’s entire world view, his leadership style and his political priorities. As anyone paying attention knows, almost every word spoken by Obama is a calculated deception, one designed to insult Believers, agitate conservatives, denigrate Americans...

They're on squad cars and street lights, and they track where you're driving. Across Minnesota, police and sheriffs have been using automated license plate readers for years to find stolen cars and aid investigations. Their spreading use and questions of data security, fueled by recent breaches of statewide databases, has focused attention on the lack of regulation. Until the data was temporarily classified late last year, anyone could ask police for a list of when and where a car had been spotted. Lawmakers will soon consider restrictions on the data stored via the readers, with state Rep. Mary Liz Holberg,...

The Miami Heat's upcoming four-game trip will feature a welcomed detour. The White House announced Wednesday the team will meet Monday with President Obama at the White House to commemorate the franchise's 2012 NBA championship. According to a memo from the White House press office, "President Obama will welcome the NBA Champion Miami Heat to the White House to honor the team and their 2012 NBA Championship victory. The President will also recognize the Heat’s ongoing support to the men and women who serve in our military and their families, continuing the tradition begun by President Obama of honoring sports...

A natural gas drilling boom is creating long lines at the Tyler County Courthouse as companies seek to verify the titles of properties they are leasing. The records room has a limited number of spaces, two of which are left open for local attorneys and residents who need to do business, County Commission President John Stender said. That leaves oil and gas companies’ representatives jostling for a place in line.

This week, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will be making her swan song appearance on Capitol Hill, providing at last to Senate and House panels her testimony about the Benghazigate scandal. Under the circumstances, legislators may feel pressured to be deferential and to keep their questions more limited in scope and superficial rather than probing. For the good of the country, it is imperative that they resist going soft. After all, the hearings Wednesday before the two chambers' committees responsible for foreign policy oversight afford the final opportunity to examine with the sitting secretary of state her legacy with...

French-led troops surrounded Mali's fabled desert city of Timbuktu on Monday after seizing its airport in a lightning advance against Islamists who have been driven from key northern strongholds. French paratroopers swooped in to block any fleeing Islamists while ground troops coming from the south seized the airport in the ancient city which has been one of the bastions of the extremists who have controlled the north for 10 months. "We control the airport at Timbuktu," a senior officer with the Malian army told AFP. "We did not encounter any resistance." French army spokesman Colonel Thierry Burkhard told AFP the...

Prominent economists, politicians, and pundits throw around the term “austerity” as if policies by that name always take the same form. They usually use the term to criticize the concept and its effects by pointing to Europe’s stagnation at the hands of “savage” cuts in government spending. But this mindset ignores the question: Austerity for whom? The answer is especially important if the United States, which has continued to follow in Western Europe’s footsteps with this month’s fiscal-cliff deal, is to learn from the Old World’s mistakes. Raising taxes on the private sector while government continues to gorge itself on...